How to Save a Soul - ABANDONED

He let out a silent breath of relief as she appeared to relax a bit more, following her inside the library. "That's a good idea." He agreed, hands in his pockets as he looked around. Sam hoped that they would find something here...

~

She felt her body relax against his touch, smiling gently at the woman who invited them into her home. Once inside, Amalia turned to Dean who appeared so calm and collected, and her face grew slightly warm. She knew he had done this so many times, but she started to wonder if hiding his real identity ever bothered him. Taking a seat on the couch next to him, she looked up at the woman who sat on the chair across from them, trying to calm her heart beat.

"My name is Tracy, by the way," she said softly, "Would either of you like a drink?"

"I am good, thanks...so, Tracy...First of all, did you see anything besides a ball of light?" Dean asked, "The figure of a person? Anything?"

"What about you, Miss Lee? Water? Soda?" She asked as she went to the fridge, smiling secretly. It was cute that the little woman seemed infatuated with Mr. Walter, "It was really dark, but I think I might have seen the outline of a woman, looking like she had drown. She was soaking wet," Tracy frowned a little, "She blended with the mist so it was really difficult to make out."

"Water, please and thank you." Amalia said politely, watching Tracy bring her a glass of the cold liquid. Taking a sip of it, the sensation seemed to help calm her down. Setting the glass onto the table in front of her, the red head listened to her words with an understanding nod. A woman that was completely soaked with marsh water... She thought for a moment, remembering the night she followed the Will-o-Wisp. Biting her lip, she looked up at Tracy, feeling a bit more confident. "Did you hear anything out of the ordinary? Like, a voice, or anything similar?"

"I...don't remember, really," Tracy shook her head.

"What about...the lady's appearance?" Dean pushed a little, "Anything, anything at all about what she looked like would help us a lot."

Tracy furrowed her brows and gained a severe look of concentration, "I think...I know I don't remember much about her clothes or anything, and her skin must've been just as pale because the only thing that stood out was her black hair, and it covered a lot of her face, too, it was very sharply angled, almost like she was starved or anorexic. Might have been an exaggeration because she's dead, though."

Amalia listened carefully to Tracy's description of the woman she saw, looking down briefly at her feet before glancing at Dean. She was positive now that this black haired woman was a vengeful spirit. She felt her stomach churn and she swallowed hard, biting the inside of her lip. She couldn't bring herself to talk, but her eyes spoke for her. She felt a small twinge of fear, yet she kept her calm composure for Dean's sake.

"Do you have any idea when all these disappearances started?" Dean also piped up as he stood up, pulling out his phone.

"Oh...maybe three years ago. It only started getting worse the last couple months," Tracy explained.

Dean nodded, "Thank you for your time, Tracy. I'm going to go make a phonecall. Juniper will stay with you until I am ready to leave." Amalia wasn't going to get any experience if he was always in the room asking the questions.

Tracy watched Derek leave and smiled at Juniper, "He's handsome, isn't he?" she teased lightly, just to see her reaction, "You're quite lucky to have someone like him as a senior officer, and he's so kind to show you the ropes, even allow you alone with me to talk to me without feeling pressured."

Amalia nodded as Dean left the room, watching him with a soft smile on her face. "Yeah, he is..." She spoke without paying much attention to what she was saying, until her face suddenly grew beet red as realization clicked. She turned to Tracy with wide eyes, who merely smiled at her. Did she just agree to something that she wasn't aware of? She covered her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment, then listened to the rest of Tracy's statement. Lowering her hands slowly, she smiled again, clutching at her skirt nervously. "That's true. I started this job not too long ago... And already, he's been so kind to me." She said, looking at Dean as he talked on the phone. "I'm not sure why, but I feel drawn to him somehow, you know? I mean, the way he smiles is just... breathtaking." She admitted, looking down while rubbing her arm nervously.

"He's much older than you are, but there's nothing wrong with liking an older man, they're a lot more mature anyway than someone your own age," Tracy giggled, "Just make sure you know the difference between infatuation and wanting to impress him, and love where you want him to be proud of you for your efforts. Just be yourself, and don't overdo it, sweetie. You'll find your place eventually, don't force it. You'll just get hurt that way."

Dean peeked around the corner after he shut off his phone, "Juniper, the others said they're working with the new information we gave them. You ready to go?"

A giggle left her lips at Tracy's words, nodding in understanding. What the woman was saying made sense, and it gave her a sense of clarity. "Understood." She said, then turned to Dean once he was off the phone. With a smile aimed at the older woman, she stood on her feet and bowed her head politely. "Thank you so much for your time. Take care of yourself, okay?" She said sweetly, squeezing her hand gently before turned at her heel to leave the house.

~

Kerica and Sam had tossed over half of the things they found out when Dean called, and Kerica stood over a table looking at a file of a pretty young girl in her teens with wild, untamed black hair that covered her face, and blue eyes, her smile strained and sad. She was sitting on the school steps with another girl, "Enya Jones. She had been diagnosed with a disorder where it's really difficult for her body to keep fat stored, the reverse of people who find it difficult to loose weight. She'd eat like a horse and not gain an ounce, and was weak because of it. She was bullied for it in school, switched to home schooling at sixteen, but she disappeared soon after. She would be nineteen if she was still around."

Sam looked to the younger female as she spoke, standing up from his chair near the computer and looked over her shoulder at the file she found. "Poor girl..." He said with a sad expression. He honestly could not imagine having been bullied and harassed by people because of something you couldn't control. It made him sick to his stomach... "Does it say what happened to her? Cause of death? Anything?" He asked.

"No, nothing. Just that she disappeared one day between her friend's house and her own. We can show this to Dean and Amalia at the hotel, see what they have to say," Kerica gathered the papers and motioned for Sam to help her finish cleaning up so they could get out of there.

It was almost 8 o'clock at night, and the group was back at the hotel to figure out what the plan was. Amalia sat on the edge of the bed with a thoughtful look on her face, while Sam looked over the files for the millionth time to find any trace of what could have happened to Enya. He sighed in frustration, setting the papers down on the bed with a hand buried in his hair. "Still nothing..." He said, breaking the silence. "How are we supposed to figure out what happened to this girl, if we don't know where to look?"

Amalia looked up at the trio, as if something just occurred to her. "I may have an idea on what happened." She chimed in, causing them to glance at her at once. She bit her lip nervously, then looked down at her feet before looking back at Sam. "You said that Enya disappeared, right?" She asked, earning a nod from the younger Winchester. "Let me see the photo real quick, please." She said, taking the photo of Enya and the other girl once he handed it to her. With a quick glance, her eyes grew wide, immediately recognizing the woman beside Enya. "Dean... Look at this." She said, handing him the photo. "That's Tracy, the woman we talked with today."

Sam's eyes grew wide, blinking in surprise. "Wait a minute..." He was about to speak, before Amalia interjected.

"I think Tracy knows something about what happened to Enya... We know she survived in the marsh, but I believe that Enya's spirit let her go. They were friends, correct?"

"You think Tracy can help us, Amalia?" Dean asked hopefully, grinning widely.

"If the spirit let Tracy go, then Tracy might be able to get her to show us where her body is," Kerica offered.

"I think this might be your debut, kiddo," Dean told the redhead, "You can go back to Tracy's house and show here this file, get her to talk to you.

Amalia gave him a nod of confidence, smiling in return. "I won't let you down, I promise." She reassured. In truth, she was nervous. Or rather, she was terrified. She couldn't let them down, not now. She just had to get Tracy to trust her enough to explain what happened. She just hoped she wouldn't blow her own cover...

With a nod, Sam handed her the file and stood on his feet. "All right... Let's get to work."

~*~

Amalia found herself standing at Tracy's front door, breathing in and out slowly to calm her heart rate. Steeling herself and gathering the courage, she knocked on the woman's front door. "Please give me strength..." She whispered to herself.

It took a few minutes but finally it opened and Tracy looked happy to see her, "Juniper! Welcome, how are you?"

Amalia smiled brightly at the woman, feeling her confidence returning. "I'm good, thank you! May I come in?" She asked.

"Yes, of course. I enjoyed talking with you before," Tracy agreed as she opened the door wide, "What do you need?"

Walking inside, she bit the inside of her cheek lightly before turning to face the older woman. "I know we discussed this earlier, but it's about what you saw... I think we may have found a lead as to what is going on."

"Oh really? Do tell," Tracy went to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of red wine, then a wine glass, "What do /you/ think is going on?"

Amalia let out a soft breath and pulled out the file, taking out the photo. "I could get in really big trouble for doing this, but..." She paused, looking up at Tracy as she handed her the photo. "Does this girl look familiar to you at all?"

"Yes, she does. That's the girl I described to you," Tracy said after gaining a soft, sad smile from looking at the picture. She handed it back to her, then poured her wine to slowly sip at it, "Why do you ask?"

Amalia bit her lip softly as she accepted, knowing that was she was about to say would probably scare Tracy away. But it was worth a shot... "I think that Enya has something to do with the disappearances." She started. "I know it's going to sound insane and illogical... But you have to trust me on this."

"I saw a spirit, I think you can run whatever you think is crazy by me and I won't freak out," Tracy shrugged, half of her wine gone.

Amalia giggled gently, then proceeded to speak once again. "The thing is... I read in this file that she had been bullied in the past. This is just a hunch, or an educated guess, but I think the people who bullied her went too far... And she died." She began, clutching at the hem of her skirt lightly. "I know it may be hard to talk about... But I want you to tell me if you have any idea on what happened the day she disappeared."

"You'd be correct. The boys who beat on her beat and beat her until she wasn't moving. I saw it from my bedroom window, they jumped her. Before you ask why I didn't report it, I was only sixteen, we were in the same grade. I was scared. I was scared they would do the same to me," Tracy shook her head, swirling her wine in her glass, "My mom got this wine for me, too. She lives nearby and let me have it after my experience. Anyway...the boys took Enya away. I can only imagine that they dumped her in the marshes which is why these deaths started happening."

Amalia softened her gaze as she heard Tracy's story, her chest aching painfully. 'How could they do such a thing?' She thought. She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and her gaze met Tracy's, a weak smile gracing her lips. "I'm so sorry... I know how it feels to lose someone close to you. Especially when you're forced to watch them die..." She said, looking down briefly before shaking her head to rid the memories of the past. "We'll do everything we can to make sure no one else dies. I promise you, that Enya won't have to suffer anymore."

"I would like that...but there must be some reason you came here, if you already knew I knew something about her death, Juniper," Tracy tilted her head at her curiously.

Amalia blinked a few times before it finally clicked in her mind. "Well, there is something we're having trouble with... And it would be greatly appreciated if you could help us. I know it's a lot to ask, and I apologize. But if we're going to help Enya's spirit, we need to find her body. Do you have an idea on where exactly she could be?"

"None...but what is it that you need me to do?" Tracy finished the wine and set it aside, rinsing out the glass and putting the bottle away.

~*~

Tracy looked around the marsh. It was dark, foggy like it was that night. The others said they would follow behind as closely as possible and she wouldn't be alone. Still, it was scary. While she walked, she kept looking for that blue light, at the same tried not to fall into a hidden swamp.

The air was cold, and growing colder. Soon, Tracy could see her breath. That was when she saw the blue light, and she tried to get closer to it, "Enya?" she called softly, "Enya...I want to talk to you. Please don't go away."

The small orb of blue light soon began to take shape into the young sixteen year old woman, hair black as coal covering most of her face. She was completely soaked to the bone, small pieces of algae covering her clothes. She lifted a hand to move her hair away from her eyes, looking at her friend tenderly. Instead of uttering a single word, Enya smiled at Tracy, patiently waiting for her to speak.

While the spectacle occurred, Amalia watched from afar with the others, biting her lip nervously. It was amazing how Tracy stayed so calm. She could only imagine how terrified she truly was, having to see her friend's spirit right before her eyes. Sam stood beside Kerica with a lighter in hand, his grip tight as he watched with an intense gaze. He hoped that things would turn out in their favor.

"Enya, I know...you've been unable to rest, and I know...I know things have been hard for you. Thank you, for letting me go the first time, but now I need you to let me help you," Tracy pleaded softly, "I need you...to show me where those boys took your body. You deserve more than this, Enya. I just want...for you to be happy."

Dean watched with sad eyes, listening to Tracy. He had the gasoline, and Kerica had the salt. He really did hope this worked. The two were close, and this just had to work.

Enya wore a look of shock at first, but almost in an instant, it faded into a pained expression. For the first time in years, the female spirit hesitated. She wanted to find peace, and yet... She still wanted vengeance against those who wronged her. She looked up at her childhood friend, a weak smile creasing her pale lips. "I'm sorry..." She spoke hoarsely, as if her voice was strained from not having been able to speak in so long.

"The death of those boys won't solve anything! It won't give you peace!" Tracy tried to convince Enya, "You've just been getting even more angry as the years go by and I can understand! I've never forgiven myself to not going out to help you! I want to make it up to you, Enya, please, just show me where they took your body! I can get you a proper burial, with a pretty gravestone, bring you your favorite flowers every day...just please," she sniffed.

Dean grumbled, "I knew it wouldn't be that easy. That damn Jersey Devil was a fluke."

Amalia watched with a pained expression on her face, and her eyes stung with threatening tears. She could see that Enya was torn between wanting to rest and wanting revenge, and it made her uneasy. She soon examined Enya's appearance and her eyes grew wide. It finally clicked in her head; she knew where Enya's body was. "Dean...!" She whispered. "Maybe we don't need Tracy's help after all."

Sam turned to the redhead with surprised eyes, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Great..." He complained. If that was true, that would mean that someone would have to dive into the water to get the remains.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Grab Tracy and leave? We came this far," Dean scowled.

"We're going to have to, because if Tracy keeps going on, Enya's just going to get even more upset and that could be bad," Kerica pointed out, "We should wait for daylight when we can see what we're doing."

"I'll explain everything once we're back at the hotel," Amalia whispered. "But right now, we have to get Tracy out of here."

Sam nodded in agreement, turning to Dean with a soft sigh leaving his lips. "I know it's frustrating, but Kerica makes a good point. We took a big risk bringing Tracy here, and it probably wasn't the best course of action. We need a better plan."

"Damn it..." Dean grumbled, "Okay, fine. Sam, you take the girls back, I'll grab Tracy."

With a hesitant nod, Sam guided Kerica and Amalia away from their hiding spot and proceeded to retreat from the forest. The red head glanced back at Dean with a look of worry, not wanting to leave him behind.

Dean jumped out and waved his arms, "Hey! Tracy, show's over, we're outa here."

"What?! Why?! You brought me out here to talk to my friend and now you want me to leave?" Tracy gaped at him.

Dean got up to Tracy's side, "Yeah, that's how it's going down. Sorry, but we gotta go."

"I...but..." Tracy didn't have a choice as Dean dragged her away, and Enya's body faded away.

~*~

"So what's the meaning of this, Amalia? What do you know?" Dean put his hands on his hips, "You know where the body is? How?"

Amalia looked straight into Dean's eyes, not a sign of hesitation in her own. "Remember when I went off on my own last night? When I almost fell into the swamp?" She asked, proceeding to speak again without waiting for a response. "I have a very strong feeling that the body is back there."

Sam blinked in disbelief, arms crossed over his chest. "How can you be so sure?" He asked, causing the red head to turn to face him.

"I know it's not much to go on, but I need you to trust me."

"Wait...wait, Amalia, you do realize that...if Enya has been leading her victims to her death spot this whole time, then there could be tons of bodies in there?" Kerica asked.

"That just means we'll have to find the ugliest one, the one that's been in there the longest," Dean grumbled.

Kerica made a face, "I have a wetsuit, but I'm not looking forward to scuba diving into a swamp with a dozen bodies."

Amalia turned to Kerica with wide eyes, then looked down at her feet as she clutched at the hem of her shirt. In truth, she never really thought about the fact that there would be several other bodies in the swamp. As she looked up at Dean and Kerica, Sam sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, that's just great... We'll have to salt and burn even more bodies." He complained.

"We'll start in the morning...for now, let's just...go to bed, okay?" Kerica groaned, standing, "This is going to be so /gross/." She made a face and then shook her head, "Goodnight, guys. C'mon, Amalia," she motioned to the redhead, "The more sleep we get, the better we'll be able to fight tomorrow."

Dean watched Sam as he followed the girls to the door, "G'night, Amalia," he called lamely just as Sam closed the door. He smirked at his little brother, "Don't have wet dreams now about Kerica in a wet-suit. Save that for tomorrow night," he used his hands and swirled his finger to signal the next day figuratively, and smirked at Sam.

Amalia nodded in agreement and followed after Kerica before turning around to smile at Dean. "Sweet dreams, Dean." She called out before going back to walking once Sam closed the door.

He blushed deeply at his older brother's words, throwing a pillow at him with a hard glare. "Dude, shut up."

()

Kerica situated the goggles on her face and she turned to look at Sam. They had all the stuff they needed....two gallons of gasoline, several cans of salt, and they all had lighters. Amalia was giving her an sympathetic look, Dean was checking to make sure they had the stuff to fight off Enya, and Sam...was just staring at her, "What?" she reached up and brushed away the damn hair strand that refused to go under the hood of the wet-suit.

Sam never meant to stare at her for so long; he just couldn't look away. He scratched his neck awkwardly and averted his gaze to the side, his ears growing hot. "N-Nothing... Sorry." He said, causing Amalia to smirk to herself.

"Someone's got a crush.~" She giggled in a sing-song tone, quickly looking away with a snicker once Sam glared at her.

"Keep your boner under control there, skipper. Kerica, you ready?" Dean called.

"Uck...as ready as I'll ever be," Kerica mumbled as she stared at the water. Any other time she probably would've been flattered by Sam staring at her body, every shape and curve outlined, but the gross situation was at the forefront of her mind. Taking a deep breath, she ran forward and dove toes-down into the water. There was nothing to see at first, it was all murky, but then she turned herself around and almost screamed. Almost. There were...so many bodies, all tangled up in the marsh. Which is why they couldn't swim back up. Others probably saw the other bodies and ended up getting water in their lungs. There /had/ to be at least a dozen here. Grabbing one as she felt her chest burning for air, she kicked her way up and gasped and spat moss water, "Kami...!" she felt bile in her throat, "Sam! Dean! Someone, fucking grab this body! I have a lot more the bring up before I get to Enya's."

Sam and Amalia soon rushed over to help pull the body out, the red head's nose scrunched up in disgust. She turned her head to the side, only to find the transparent Enya glaring daggers at them. "Shit! Look out!" She shouted, catching Sam's attention only to feel himself being thrown into the air and slammed against a tree.

"Get outa here!" Dean shouted, coming up behind Enya and slashing his iron pipe at her, making her disappear, "She won't be gone for long, hurry up and get those bodies!" he shouted.

"Right!" Kerica took a breath and dove back down.

"Okay, we're going to play hot potato. Amalia! You stand back and start salting and burning the bodies while Sam and I haul them out when Kerica comes up. We have to work fast!" Dean ordered as he jumped over and with one hand, grabbed the next body Kerica drug out, tossing it to the side.

With a firm and determined nod, Amalia did as she was told and salted both the bodies before pouring gasoline on them and lit the corpses on fire. Sam groaned in pain and got up as fast as he could, helping Kerica and Dean to the best of his ability. Once the third body was pulled out, Amalia quickly repeated her actions with the previous two, then spotted Enya directly behind Sam.

"Sam, behind you!"

"Here we go," Dean growled and he swung his arm while Sam ducked and he sliced the pipe across Enya's face. Sam grabbed two more bodies from Kerica. Adrenaline was helping her out, and he hoped she's be able to wade through them to get Enya soon. "This is just peachy. Amalia, how ya doin'?"